Metro Rail employees have declared a work strike following the assault of four of their colleagues by members of the MRT police force. As a result, Metro Rail services will be suspended from this morning, March 17th.
Multiple Metro Rail employees confirmed the matter to the media late Sunday night, March 16th. Prior to this, a press release issued under the banner of "All Officers and Employees of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited" detailed the incident and outlined six demands.
The employees' demands are as follows:
- The main perpetrator of the incident, SI Masud, must be permanently dismissed within one working day, and all police officers involved (Constable Reznul, Inspector Ranjit) must be punished and publicly apologize.
- A separate armed force must be formed for the safety of Metro Rail, its staff, and passengers.
The MRT Police must be abolished immediately. - 100% security must be ensured for all staff on duty at the stations, including CRAs, TMOs, and Station Controllers.
- Entry into the paid zones of the stations must be strictly prohibited without official identification and authorization.
- The authorities must take full responsibility for the treatment of the injured employees.
The press release stated that all Metro Rail staff would continue the work strike until their demands were met, and more stringent measures would be announced if necessary.
The statement also expressed hope that the relevant authorities would take swift and effective action to ensure a safe and orderly working environment at the Metro stations.
Metro Rail employees told the media, "We will not operate trains from this morning, March 17th. We will resume services once our demands are met. Senior officials at the head office are aware of the incident. They have held meetings at the Secretariat. Our press release has been sent to them in accordance with official protocol."
The press release provided details of the incident, stating that at approximately 5:15 PM, two women in plain clothes entered the train without tickets or identification and attempted to exit the paid zone through the swing gate near the EFO office. As they were not in uniform and their identities could not be verified, the on-duty CRA, following protocol, inquired about their reason for exiting through the swing gate instead of the PG gate. However, the police officers involved became agitated and moved to the MRT Police control room.
Subsequently, two APBN members similarly used the swing gate and left it open. When questioned about this, they became involved in an argument, escalating the situation from the previous incident. Shortly after, several more police officers arrived from the control room and engaged in an altercation with the on-duty CRA at the EFO.
As they were leaving the EFO, they struck the CRA on the shoulder with a rifle and forcibly took another TMO to the MRT Police box, grabbing him by the collar, assaulting him, and pointing a gun at him, threatening to shoot. On-site station staff and passengers intervened and rescued the TMO from the MRT Police.
This situation poses a serious threat to the Metro Rail's working environment. The injured CRA, who was struck on the shoulder with a rifle, was immediately admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.
The TMO, who was harassed in the police control room and had a rifle pointed at his chest, lost consciousness and fell ill on his way home after giving a statement about the incident.
